You know Cotton Eye Joe. I can’t stand the guy and, by now, I’m sure it’s mutual. I actually wrote a column once and took the guy apart. He’s fictitious, mind you, but it had to be done. He promptly disappeared for a while — and some actually thanked me — before reappearing a few years later. Stronger than ever.

Every time that song plays now, and especially at the Coliseum, people I know turn to me or text me and laugh. And laugh. The song drives me crazy. I’m three or four more renditions away from developing a tick … and I know I’ll hear it three or four hundred more times.

The thing about Joe is he’s unstoppable. Enough people love this guy that he just won’t go away. We’d need something strong and momentous to make a change.

Lo and behold, hope!

Do you hate Cotton-Eyed Joe as much as I do? Do you think it portrays the crowd at WVU games in a negative light? Perhaps you think it’s just the stupidest song of all time. If you hate a calm crowd that turns into a rabid, banjo playing, knee slapping HOT MESS… please join this group. Tell your friends. Tell everyone you know. Invite everyone you know. This song has to be stopped… for the sake of all WVU fans worldwide.

/joins
//laughs
///doesn’t slap knee so as to not be called a hot mess

I like going to games at the Coliseum. People seem to complain about different things, but it’s better than many other places I visit — but it’s not as good as others, either.

I think the people who do the audio/visual stuff are pretty good and are hitting their stride with the improved technology and how and when to use music. It takes time, I know. But sometimes I wonder if I could mug the guy running the music and take his seat for a game and jam “Jump Around” when the crowd absolutely demands it — it should be a requirement … everyone knows the words or pretends they do — but every time I pass.

See, that’s the thing about whining. We can’t do anything about it. But this petition? Maybe! We just need to guarantee our success. We can’t push for regime change and then have no plan for what to do next. This is not Charlie Wilson’s second war.

So let’s take the extra step. Joe is gone and you can put something in that spot in the in-game rotation.

Example: A friend — I won’t name her unless she wants to take credit — proposes this: (skip to the 3:00 mark). I like it. Big sound. Clapping, stomping, all that crowd participation stuff, and inspirational lyrics. We can do this.

We can do a lot of things. Other submissions? Don’t let us down!